Ghosts Of The Past
by AluneRose
Summary: An old friend of Adam's finds her way into his life. Coincidence? Or is this an Illuminati set-up to try to sway Jensen to their side? (Adam Jensen/OC Heavy spoilers for ending of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided)
1. An Old Friend

The Illuminati had been bold, pulling the strings behind everything and leading the world into a spiral of hatred toward augs. From Talos Rucker being assassinated, enabling Allison Stanek to create her cult, Tai Yong Medical's depraved experiments that led to a new Harvester... just how much of it was planned, though?

Adam mused to himself on the elevator ride down to TF29 headquarters, piecing together the puzzle in his mind. Supposedly they were getting a new recruit today, a highly skilled personal trainer with a specialty in bringing down augmented people. Miller said it was due to the rise in augmented terrorism, and Adam reluctantly agreed. His boss seemed to have a new respect for augmented rights after Adam used the Orchid antidote on him, saved the delegates, and took Marchenko alive.

 _"They're scared, and not as well equipped to take on a walking tank like Marchenko without their own augments,"_ he frowned into his coffee, taking another sip, _"I doubt I would have been able to take him down if I didn't have the experimental augs. I need to find out who the hell did this to me, and why."_

Upon the doors opening Adam was greeted by Aria, breaking him away from his thoughts as she ecstatically relayed the news of the new recruit. "Adam! Did you hear? We've got another augmented member of the task force!"

"I didn't hear anything about that. He any good?"

" _She_ already took on MacReady in the training room," her voice lowered to a whisper, though a smile stayed on her lips, "and won."

MacReady getting knocked down a peg? This he had to see. "I see. Must have been a low blow to be taken down so easily."

"Hah. He just chalked it up to her having augments. That's her big thing I guess. Made a killing in the private sector before the Incident. With augments becoming popular she marketed herself as a training partner to showcase common augments someone might come up against."

"Now I know why Miller wanted her on the team. I'd be a bit much for most of them to spar with."

"Yeah and I'm, well..." Aria trailed off. "You know, 'low-stress situations' only."

"Give it time, Aria, they'll see your potential one of these days. I'm going to go see how much of a challenge our new trainer is."

Aria nodded, calling after him. "Tell Theia I said hi!"

Theia. He knew someone with that name once. A long time ago, back before Megan, before S.W.A.T., hell, back before he even really knew what he wanted to do with his life. One of the few friends he made as a child, and they were thick as thieves before her family split and she had to move away.

 _"No way it's her. Must be a common name in the Czech Republic."_

He was broken from his reverie once he stepped into the training room. The new girl was taking on another task force member, giving pointers every time she blocked a move or managed to dodge.

But it _was_ her.

Her hair was dyed a different color but her face was still so familiar it was haunting. As she brought her opponent down onto the mat her eyes flicked up to meet his own, further cementing the fact that this woman was her. Those deep blue eyes that he always used to find otherworldly; it was like she had walked right out of his memories. Give or take a couple decades of time doing it's work.

He didn't know how to best bring it up to her, but he just _had_ to know.

* * *

"Alright! Good job, but one major problem. You're giving too much advance notice as to what you're about to do." Theia took a cloth to her brow, wiping away the sweat. "You're practically announcing your moves. And you hesitate." She made a quick jab toward her new student, causing him to flinch. "Your enemy won't hesitate. You need to break that habit."

As the other man walked away, giving Adam a look of exhaustion as he passed, Adam cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Ah, you must be the other augmented person on the task force." She gave him a bright smile as she held out her, obviously augmented, hand to him. "Theia, Theia Hawkes. I gotta say you've got some impressive looking augs."

Same first name, same last name. And those eyes, locked onto his unflinchingly with an air of confidence, it was her. A ghost from his past walking up to him out of the blue. No way this was coincidence. His face did not betray his inner maelstrom of emotions as he took her hand calmly and gave it a firm shake.

"Adam. Adam Jensen."

One of her eyebrows arched up in curiosity as she spoke. "Interesting name... got family in the Detroit area?"

"I grew up in Detroit, actually. Suburbs at least."

Theia put one hand on her hips, looking up at his eyes through his shades. "This is probably going to sound weird, then, if you're not who I think you are but... your parents were Arthur and Margie, right?"

"Yeah. So... you really are her." Adam felt his breath catch in his throat, barely retaining his stoic composure as Theia's arms wrapped around his torso in a tight hug.

"Adam Jensen! Holy _shit_ I haven't seen you in years!" Her sapphire eyes looked him up and down before she chuckled softly. "You must have hit a huge growth spurt because I distinctly remember being taller than you last time we met."

Adam couldn't help but smirk at the memories that brought up. "You were a whole half inch taller than me. And we were fourteen so it doesn't really count." A slight sigh escaped his lips, pleasant memories running through his mind. "It's been ages, Theia."

"Yeah, no shit." She pulled away, still giving him that warm smile that never seemed to leave her lips. "So, did you get run over by a train without me there? You've got more hardware than a tank!"

"Long story." He was suddenly very aware of the stares they were getting from those still in the training room. "Want to talk more later? I have to go report some stuff to Miller."

"Sure! Take my number, we've got a lot of catching up to do!"

"Yeah, see you around, Theia."

Adam left the room, running a hand through his hair as his head spun from the tidal wave of emotions running through his brain. Shaking his head slightly Adam walked away and towards Miller's office. It couldn't just be coincidence, could it? Or was the Illuminati digging up his past and trying to fuck with him? Either way, he would have to investigate.


	2. Coincidences

Coincidences were not a thing in his line of work. Only the illusion of coincidence; and illusion was one of the Illuminati's favorite tools. Theia waltzing her way back into his life now... he wanted so desperately to believe that, just this once, it truly _was_ coincidence.

To think anything else, that his friend from so long ago was now against him, whether of her own volition or not, made his heart ache. A hand came up to rub the back of his neck, the cool synthetics helped to calm him down. He had to think rationally, he was jumping to conclusions that might not even be there. To get to the truth he had to think rationally.

First thing, ask Miller who assigned her in particular to the task force. If it was one of his superiors then it was a high possibility that she had connections to the Illuminati.

"Adam!"

He stopped in his tracks, turning towards the voice. The resident shrink, Delara Auzenne, stood in the doorway to her office. His face must have given away what he was thinking because her brows furrowed in concern.

"You alright? We can talk about it in my office while I do your quarterly evaluation."

"Can it wait, doc? I need to talk to Miller."

"It could, but now you've got my curiosity piqued. Come inside." She moved aside, gesturing towards the couch in her office.

Adam scowled slightly, shooting one last glance at Miller's office up on the second floor before heeding her words and stepping inside. Her office was plain, a few personal effects and a somewhat worn looking couch. Despite the wear and tear, however, it was always surprisingly comfy whenever he sat in it.

"So... we haven't gotten to touch base since what happened in London. You were the big hero that day; saved Miller, saved the delegates, saved the people in those apartment buildings... you even managed to bring Marchenko in alive." She paused, looking over at his expressionless face. "You must be the new superman."

"Just doing my job, doc." Adam's voice was terse, clearly highlighting his annoyance with the therapist.

"No need to be so curt with me, Adam. I'm only here to make sure you're mentally sound."

"Look, I need to talk to Miller about the new-" He cut himself off, internally cursing himself for letting a detail slip.

"Oh! So this is about the new girl, Theia? Miller came to me once he had a list of dossiers and I suggested her. I'd worked with her before, even counselled her after the... incident. Shes the sort of trusting, friendly person that can get people to open up themselves to her."

Theia knew Delara? He hadn't found any connections between her and the Illuminati so... maybe this was indeed a huge coincidence. His face softened slightly at the thought, his body that was tensed with doubt and suspicion relaxed somewhat as well.

Delara noticed this and continued to pry. "Have you worked with her too? Anything I should know about between the two of you that might interfere with missions or training?"

He didn't quite know what to say, how to word it to make it seem trivial to her. "We knew each other, way back when we were still kids. But that was decades ago. She might have changed since then."

Whether her smile was real or fake he couldn't tell, Delara had a strict 'no CASIE' policy in her office so it was impossible to read her most of the time. "Well that's actually a positive thing for me to know. Means that you two should mesh together fairly easily, despite the opposites in personality."

"Can I go now, doc?"

"Oh yes, I'll put our meeting on record so I won't have to bother you until next quarter or if anything drastic happens again. Have fun with Miller, he's been arguing with the big boss today so he might be in a bit of a mood."

"Thanks." He replied gruffly as he stood, walking to the door and heading out into the busy central area.

 _"If Auzenne recommended her... then she might actually be out of the Illuminati's circle. Or at least, not conscious of the connection."_ Adam made his way up the stairs, walking past MacReady's office and seeing him glaring at paperwork he was filling out. _"Wonder how long it'll take him to warm up to Theia. As if he's even warmed up to me."_

A knock on the door to his boss's office was received with a stern 'come in' by Miller. Upon the door opening he nodded in Miller's direction, his boss only replying with a dismissing wave. "Miller, I've got some questions about the new operative."

"Not you too, Jensen. MacReady already came in to try to argue against her appointment. I'll tell you what I told him. She's on contract right now. Not officially part of the task force, and she'll be dismissed once our team is trained up."

She wasn't going to stay? He'd just gotten back in touch with her, part of him felt sad at the thought of her leaving so soon already. "How long do you think that will be?"

"Don't know. She's currently contracted for six months, but from her interview in my office yesterday the stuff she's going to teach all of us is going to take longer than that." Miller cracked a small smile. "She said 'once I'm done your men will be able to take on a tank, and win'. Theia has got the confidence and her dossier shows the skills to back it up. Hopefully she's a miracle worker, because that's the kind of thing we need against these terrorists."

Miller looked up from his holographic chess game, leveling his gaze at Adam. "Any particular reason you wanted to know about her? I thought you'd be thrilled I'm willing to add more augmented to the team. And Delara sung her praises as if Theia was a saint."

"It's not that, Chief. Just some past connections that I thought were cut."

"Another ex girlfriend of yours?"

This quip made Adam involuntarily sputter nervously. "No! I mean, no. We knew each other growing up. That's all I'm willing to say."

"Hmm. Alright. But don't make me read you the fraternization rules. Keep it professional you two."

"Will do, Chief. Thanks."

Adam turned on his heel, quickly leaving his superior's office. Was he imagining it, or did that last comment make his face a bit warm? They were kids the last time they saw each other, and while time had been kind to her, he wasn't sure if he could consider himself into her in that sense of the word.

A message popped up on his display, from an unknown number, almost the exact second the door shut behind him.

 _"Hey Adam! It's Theia. Wanted to make sure your number worked. You've been here longer than I have, know any cool places to eat?"_

Pulling his phone from his pocket, he typed up a quick response.

 _"Not really. There's some good bars around here, though."_

As soon as he pressed send he realized how that message must have sounded. He might as well have invited her to his place for drinks. It only took a few moments for her reply to show up on his display.

 _"LOL Are you inviting me on a date, Adam? Although a drink sounds awesome after today. So many newbies in your task force. Pick a place and time?"_

 _"There's a place near my apartment complex, the Zelen Apartments on the south side of town, called the Svodoby Beer pub. Usually pretty quiet. Want to catch up a bit at, say, seven?"_

 _"No way! We must be neighbors, then. Your TF29 boss got me set up there. And it's a date... just kidding! Wish I could see your face. Do you even blush as much as you used to? Anyway, see you there at seven."_

Adam sighed. This was going to be a bit troublesome. If anybody at TF29 saw them at the pub rumors would start flying. He'd have to stay professional.


	3. Catching Up

At his apartment Adam could relax, calm his body that was always on high alert, and soothe his muscles that ached from the long hours of stress. No better way to do that than with a shower; warm water washing away the grime that seemed to cling to him in this city. He couldn't spend too long, however, it was already six and he promised Theia he'd meet her at Svobody to catch up.

His hand hesitated for a moment on the shower knob before he turned it off, large clouds of steam rising from his naked skin as he took the towel off the wall and dried himself off. As the towel ran across his short hair it smoothed it down for a split second before it regained the slightly spiked appearance that he barely had to maintain; finishing off with a quick comb through and he was done with that part of his grooming ritual.

Looking at himself in the mirror he turned his head to each side, inspecting his beard that already had a bit of stubble messing with the straight lines and corners he trimmed each morning.

"Probably don't need to do anything about that just yet. It's not a date."

Adam kept repeating that to himself as if to reassure his racing mind. It wasn't a date, just shooting the shit with an old friend, catching up over decades spent apart.

But still, he continued to deny to himself that he was ecstatic to see her again.

Growing up on the same street together meant they saw each other every day. Same elementary school, middle school, they even shared half a year as high school freshmen together before her parents broke up. That meant every day on the playground together as kids, summers spent either at each other's houses or at the same summer camp, every weekend running around the local area getting themselves into new trouble. Theia always called it adventure, and always had his back when they got in over their heads.

And he had hers, at least back then. Although he was more of a empathic pacifist back then. The world did a good job at beating that out of him.

A quick glance at the clock on his HUD showed he only had ten minutes left. Enough time to get dressed and down to the bar. He doubted she'd be that annoyed if he showed up late anyway.

* * *

Theia was standing in the courtyard of their apartment complex as Adam left, closing the door and locking it behind him. She didn't know exactly where Svobody was but she had GPS on her phone and could find her way there. The sound of footsteps made her turn around, looking up at see Adam standing behind her.

She waved at him with a bright smile on her face. "Hey, Adam! I was just on my way to the bar, but my slow as shit phone is slowing me down."

"No problem. It's pretty much down the street." Adam walked ahead of her, holding the door to the street open for her behind him.

"This city is kinda... well, depressing might be a bit of a strong word for it."

"You'll get used to it. Just make sure you've got your papers on you at all times. And watch out for fake cops trying to sell you bogus papers."

Theia raised an eyebrow in skepticism, following him out to the sidewalk and walking beside him. "Some people here are actually that slimy? Shit, and I thought Detroit was bad."

Funny, he didn't remember her swearing like a sailor. "Yeah." A long pause, only interrupted by the sound of their footsteps lingered into awkward silence. "So... you set up in your place?" Adam wasn't very good at small talk, but he wasn't quite sure where to start and felt like activating his CASIE aug would just lead to distrust between them.

"Everything except my bed. It was supposed to be in yesterday but the shipment is delayed. But the couch was comfy enough."

"Your apartment wasn't furnished?"

"Eh... apparently the girl living in my place beforehand left a mess to clean up behind her when she moved out. Nobody would tell me the full story no matter how hard I pried but it's not a huge deal." She shrugged, that perpetual smile still on her face causing her dimples to show. The faintest of crow's feet crinkling around her eyes betrayed her true age. "Just means I gotta wait for a new bed."

He held back a chuckle at his own thoughts, his brain had the fleeting idea to offer his bed to her but he decided against it. "Hopefully it gets there soon. No matter how comfortable a couch may be it'll get to you." Even with his own augmentations he tried to avoid sleeping on his couch, only occasionally finding himself there the morning after a few too many drinks and regretting it each time.

"Hey, this the place?" Theia stopped in front of a glass storefront, pointing her thumb towards the sign.

"Yeah, almost walked right past it." Adam once again held the door open for her, eliciting a smirk from Theia.

"Such a chivalrous knight. Shall I offer mine hand for thou to kiss it?"

This earned a small chuckle from Adam, a rare smile gracing his features as he shook his head. "Theia you still say the weirdest shit."

"Ah but you still laughed." Walking past him and up to the bar, she spoke the little broken Czech she knew. "Ahoj! Co tady pít?"

Theresa looked up from her spot behind the empty bar, smiling as she saw Adam. "You don't have to worry about speaking Czech here, I know English just fine."

"Ah shit, my bad." Theia looked a bit nervous as her cheeks flushed pink at the slight embarrassment. "What's good to drink here?"

"Well we're known for our Svobody beer. If you're not a big fan of that I've got a few different bottles of wine. You want harder stuff you'll have to look elsewhere." She looked away from Theia and nodded at Adam. "How have you been? We just got done with happy hour but for you and your friend I can make an exception."

"Not needed, but thanks." It seemed Theresa was still happy about the neuropozyne he got her, but he didn't want to harm her profits. Besides, he had the credits to pay for whatever the two of them wanted to drink.

"I'm not normally a beer drinker, but I'll try a Svobody."

"Make it two, on my tab."

"Alright." Theresa pulled out two beers from below the bar, deftly popping the tops off the bottles and setting them on the bar.

"Oh wow you've even got a tab here." Theia smirked at him as she grabbed her beer and went to one of the tables. "You've established yourself so well, sure you'll ever want to leave?" Her tone was mocking, but in the same sense that Pritchard and Adam used to jab at each other. A fleeting thought crossed his mind as to how the hacker was doing before he sat down across from Theia.

"I like the atmosphere here." His voice also had a playful tone to it, returning her quip with one of his own. He took a long swig of his beer, setting it down on the table and locking eyes with her. "So... what made you decide to take this job?"

"The money is amazing." She said in a matter of fact tone. "That and business has really dried up since the incident." For once her smile faltered, a sort of melancholy coloring her expression before she looked back at him with a renewed smile. "Not to mention the luck I must have for running into you of all people halfway across the world from Detroit."

"Yeah, happy little coincidence..." He trailed off, taking another long drink from his now almost empty bottle.

"So what kind of trouble did you get yourself into while I was gone?" That playful tone was back, she took a small sip from her own bottle before continuing. "You carry yourself differently. I'm guessing either military or police work with those impressive augs you got there."

"Would you believe I got these working private security?"

"Did the building you were guarding fall on top of you or something?"

"Not exactly... there was an accident." He wasn't going to go into the details with her, not yet. He still didn't know if he could trust her like that. Her connection to Dr. Auzenne assuaged his suspicions somewhat, but he couldn't let go of the idea that the Illuminati was trying to fuck with him.

"Ah yeah, that's how I got these." She did some mock flexing of her augmented arms. "Car accident, I was buckled in but my arms flew forward and got stuck between the dash and the other car." She shrugged, as if her story was but a minor inconvenience for her. "I had two options, wallow in self pity or, as the great Bruce Lee once said: 'be like water, my friend'. I chose to be the river and not the stone, forging my own way ahead."

She looked down at her beer, that look of melancholy taking over once again.

"I was lucky, the guy driving the car I was in was killed, and when the news hit the papers I got a call from a representative of Sarif Industries. Said they wanted to reach out to me as an act of charity." She scoffed. "Of course I thought I was going to be indebted to them like Blind Mag in Repo."

Sarif. Another coincidence? Her reference was lost to him, however. "In what?"

Her mouth opened in an exaggerated expression of shock. "Repo! The Genetic Opera? Came out in, like, '09? Only hailed as the Rocky Horror Picture Show of our generation?"

"Not a big movie buff."

"We're gonna have to remedy that one of these days!" She clapped her hand against the table in declaration. "Show you all the good movies! Repo, The Crow, you've probably already seen The Matrix by the looks of that trench coat."

"Very funny."

"Whatever you say, Neo." She smirked, downing the last of her beer. "That stuff is actually pretty good. Thanks for buying it but I've got the next round." Theia stood up, heading back to the bar and ordering two more, paying with her credit card and sitting back down across from him.

"So, seriously, you dodged the question. What did you do without me there to add excitement and adventure to your life?"

"Hah. Boring stuff. Police, SWAT, head of security for Sarif Industries actually."

"So those are Sarif augs, too? Looks a hell of a lot nicer than mine." Theia drank this beer eagerly, already accustomed to the taste. "Then again I got mine back in... fuck, 2020 I think? At least I'm lucky in the fact I don't need neuropozyne as often as most people."

"Must be nice." He cast a glance over at Theresa still behind the bar, he didn't know why she needed the neuropozyne he gave her but he knew how much it affected those who needed it.

"So probably not tonight but what do you say to movie night at my place tomorrow night? I bet you'll like The Crow if I can find it. Has Bruce Lee's son Brandon Lee in it as a man brought back to life to avenge the death of himself and his girlfriend. He's pretty much immortal and goes on a killing spree to get to the top of the gang that started it all."

Despite the parallels he saw to his own history with Megan Reed in that synopsis he was indeed intrigued. "Sure, why not. Same time tomorrow night at your place?"

"It's a date." Theia laughed, a bright sort of laughter that could make anyone feel happier just by listening to it. "Of course I'm kidding. Don't want to get you in trouble at work. Want to head out now? It's been three hours already and I need sleep for training tomorrow."

"Sure." He couldn't help but smile as he stood, offering his hand to her to help her stand.

"Thanks, Adam. You still are the caring guy I knew back when we were younger. I can tell." She took his hand, accepting his offer to help her up, and was it his imagination or did her hand linger there for a few moments longer than needed? Must have been the alcohol. He lost track of the beers they had thrown back during their conversation and didn't bother to count the numerous bottles on the table.

"Come on, let's get home." He allowed her to stabilize herself against him as they walked, the alcohol obviously affecting her more than him. They walked in silence, although it was no longer awkward but more of a comfortable silence. As if everything needed to be said had been said and they could just enjoy each other's company.

* * *

Once up to her apartment he helped her to the couch, he recognized the apartment as Daria Myska's old one. She had been taken into custody and last he heard she was getting the psychiatric help she needed. Theia patted the spot next to her in an invitation for him to sit down. "It's been great catching up. You know you're pretty much the only person I've legitimately missed since my mom moved us out of Detroit?"

He sat down next to her on the small couch, the short length of it forcing him to lean against her. "Really? Had no idea. Must have missed my charming personality." His tone was more relaxed, his body language as well showed signs of decreased stress and anxiety around her. Delara was right, Theia was someone who made you feel comfortable no matter who you were.

"Oh stop." She teased, mock hitting him in the arm. "You were my only friend back then. Us weird kids had to stick together..." Her voice trailed off, a blissful smile on her face as she became engrossed in her reverie.

"Theia..." Adam retracted his sunglasses, allowing him to look directly into her eyes; those deep sapphire orbs that always made her look otherworldly to him. "I... I missed you too." Part of his mind screamed that he was making a mistake, that he shouldn't trust anyone around here, not even someone he once knew.

However his thoughts were wiped blank by the feel of her lips pressing tenderly against his. The kiss was fleeting, Theia pulling away before he could even register what happened, leaving him just staring down at her dumbfounded as she grinned.

"Hah. Whoops. Shouldn't'a done that." Her speech slurred together, a dark red flush tinting her cheeks. She laughed it off, leaving Adam still speechless before he stood up quickly.

"I should go. You're not in your right mind, obviously the beer got to your head a bit." He manged to stammer out the sentence as he turned around to open the door. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright! Goodnight, Adam." She still grinned that Cheshire grin as she watched him from the couch, Adam closing the door behind him and leaning against it to calm himself down.

 _"What the hell was that?"_ His mind raced and his heart pounded from the adrenaline rushing through his system. "I'll have to apologize tomorrow. Shouldn't have put myself in that situation."

Adam had showered once already today, but perhaps another, colder, shower was in order before he want to bed tonight.


	4. Into The Fray

_"What the hell was that?"_

Adam had quickly left Theia's apartment for the solitude of his own, still thinking about the brief kiss she had given him. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins as he ran a hand through his hair to calm his nerves, mentally chiding himself for how he was reacting.

 _"One kiss and I'm acting like I'm in high school again."_ He walked over to his messy excuse for a dining room table, picking up the bottle of whisky and pouring himself a shot. _"I don't even know if she's trustworthy yet. At least she's still as unpredictable as she used to be."_

Adam let out a half-laugh, tossing back the shot like it was water. _"Tomorrow is going to be awkward. Should I apologize? Act like it never happened?"_

Now that he had managed to calm himself down somewhat he sat down on his couch, staring at the blank television screen in silence. He didn't want to turn it on, just to see the fake Eliza Cassan spouting spin coverage and lies about current events, but he also wanted something to just take his mind off of things.

Finally he decided to turn on the screen, surfing the channels for a movie or reruns of any sort of mind numbing boob-tube show that he could zone out to.

* * *

Daylight glared through the half closed blinds of his living room, rousing Adam from his sleep with a groan. For a moment everything from last night was gone from his memory, the only thing on his mind was the ache in his spine from the weird sleeping position he had taken on the couch.

Though he no longer had to truly stretch his muscles, he stood and raised his arms above his head, his shoulders stretching comfortably and his back cracking with an audible popping sound in multiple spots.

His HUD clock showed it was still early; he wasn't expected at HQ for another two hours. Enough time to get a shower and have some cereal he mused to himself as he moved his still groggy body across the hardwood floors, augmented feet moving soundlessly as he walked, to the bathroom.

As the hot water cascaded over tired muscles everything that happened last night came flooding back to him, that kiss at the forefront of his brain. Instead of the rush of adrenaline he had felt last night, however, he simply felt embarrassment. There was also a distinct feel of trepidation at what was going to happen once he got to HQ. If he stayed in his office most of the day he wouldn't have to worry about it.

 _"She was pretty out of it last night, too. Maybe she's forgotten? Hope so. Don't need this to be any more awkward than it already feels."_

Adam turned off the water, stepping out of the shower and just enjoying the steam for a moment as his thought coalesced. Why was it so awkward and hard to talk to her? They had been close, closer than anyone else in his life, really. Megan had kept him at arms length most of the time and now he knew why. No one else had really ever gotten to know the inner workings of his emotions as Theia had when they were young and carefree.

So much of him had changed, though, with Theia staying almost the same. For the first time in a long time, since the day he woke up with these augments, he felt ashamed at how much he had indeed changed. The world had made him cynical, robbed him of most of his original body, and put him in a role he never asked for.

"Maybe reconnecting with Theia will be a good thing." He had toweled himself off and gotten dressed, speaking to no one in particular as he looked down at his jacket, crumpled in a pile on the sofa.

With a sigh he pulled it on, he had spent so much time in the shower and just daydreaming that he didn't have time for breakfast. He remembered a small pack of energy bars in his desk, though. He'd be able to have one of those once he got there.

* * *

Marcie greeted him as he walked through the door, she was currently dealing with a customer at Praha Dovoz and welcomed him as if he was simply an employee coming in for his shift.

Through the back and down the elevator he was once again met by Aria, all smiles and small talk. "Hey, Adam! Get to talk to Theia yesterday? She's certainly friendly, and her fighting style is top notch."

"Yeah, we talked for a bit."

Aria leaned in close, a smirk on her face as she brought her volume down a bit. "So... heard you two went out for drinks after work?"

His brow furrowed in annoyance. "Really? Who told you that?"

"One of Smiley's guys was walking past Svobody last night and saw you guys. You two know each other or are you trying to get on Miller's nerves by pushing the boundaries of fraternization?"

"We know each other, well, knew." Adam crossed his arms over his chest, a look of annoyance still plastered on his face. "She and I grew up on the same street. Detroit suburbs."

"Oh wow, so this must be pretty awesome for you, huh?"

"...Yeah."

Aria easily picked up on the apprehensiveness in his tone, prying a bit more. "Has she changed a lot? Since you guys knew each other, I mean."

"No. She almost exactly the same since the last time we met." He motioned to himself and his vast amount of augments. "I'm the one that did most of the changing."

"Well Theia is great in my book. Hope you guys get to be friends again, and maybe invite me next time you guys go out?"

"Heh. Sure, Aria. I'll definitely keep you in mind." Adam gave her a small smile as he turned to head to his office.

His good mood was cut short, however, by MacReady glaring up at him from his desk. "Jensen. Appreciate the new girl we have? She's not a Swiss army knife like you but I bet you'll get along just great."

Sarcasm dripped from his voice, apparently his pride was still a bit bruised from Theia beating him so easily. This only managed to make Adam smirk, however, and decide to rub it in. "She doesn't have all my augments, so I was surprised to hear she beat you, MacReady. As far as I know it's only her arms."

He scoffed, waving the comment off. "Please, she's supposed to teach us how to go up against augs. I may not like it but once she's done training our guys we might not need you anymore."

"Sure, because you could have taken down Marchenko with an EMP and a single bullet, right?" Adam remained nonplussed, grabbing an energy bar from his desk and eating it slowly. "Or gone into ARC territory by yourself and gone unnoticed."

"That's only because of your fancy glass shield and you know it, Jensen."

"Whatever. You can be anti-aug all you want, but these augments have helped the team more than you want to admit."

A small bell sound came from both of their computers. Mass email to the entire staff he guessed. MacReady already had his up and smirked at Adam. "Oh look, you and Aria are at the top of the list for training today. Starting a pro-aug club down the training room, are we?"

 _"Shit."_ He pulled up the email on his computer to see for himself.

 _"Good morning, everyone!_

 _So in an effort to be fair, I've set up a randomizer algorithm to choose who does what each day. Each day I'll have a class of ten, five doing group training with me and the other five sparring with either virtual intelligence dummies of my design or sparring one on one._

 _As this is the first day, though, all ten will be on group training. Once everyone has cycled through their first session then we'll be doing the five/five set up!_

 _The only things you're required to bring are you and your enthusiasm!"_

She came off as excited even through text. But he was thankful she wasn't actively seeking him out.

"And if we are?" Adam returned the smirk, hiding the apprehension he felt at seeing Theia again so soon. "Not much you can do about it except whine to Miller."

"Just don't go oiling each other's gears. Then I _would_ have something to go to Miller about."

Adam scoffed, making his way out of the office and down the stairs. The training room was a bit further down, past even the holding cells that were currently empty. A quick glance through the small window in the door showed he was the first one to arrive. Theia was inside, messing with one of her VI dummies.

He wasn't too thrilled at the idea of being alone with her just yet after what happened last night, deciding to lean against the wall next to the door and wait for the others.

He didn't have to wait long, the mass email had gone through the office and most of those picked for today were already headed his way. Unfolding his arms from across his chest he stood up straight, nodding at Aria as she walked up. The one person he hadn't expected to see, however, was Dr. Auzenne.

"Hey, doc, didn't see you on the list."

Auzenne gave him a tired half smile, it was still fairly early in the day and she appeared to not be a morning person. "I'm here to observe; not to mention that with Theia being an old acquaintance of mine, I wanted to see how she's doing." Delara held up a notepad and gave her pen a click. "Director Miller wants me to observe and keep track of each person's physical and mental progress, so as long as I'm not scheduled to be in the office, I'll be here with you guys."

As if on cue, the door behind them swung open with Theia standing in the doorway. Her t-shirt was gone, now she was sporting a dark blue tank top that showed off her shoulders with Adam's gaze following her arms up to where they connected with the flesh of her torso. They were much like his; Sarif's athletic model and his tactical model connected in the same way to the body, which meant she most likely had a reinforcing bar across her chest beneath her pectoral muscles.

Theia sported a smirk as well as a determined, dare he say blazing, look in her eyes as she scanned the crowd of nine before her.

"Looks like we're missing one. Hell of a day to be late. Shall we do roll call?" Theia held up the clipboard, grabbing the pencil from behind her ear and started checking off the names.

"Adam? Alright. Aria? Sweet, got my eye on you, bet you'll be top of the class in no time Argento!" She continued down the list until all but one was present and accounted for. "Too bad, they'll get the bulk of the grunt work when they decide to show up. Alright everyone! File in!"

Theia stood aside, motioning for everyone to file in ahead of her, allowing her to close the door behind them all.

"Okay." Her smile faded, and the fire in her eyes shifted from a flame of determination to an ember of what they once were. Now that she was in her teaching mode it was like night and day. "Listen up, because I don't like explaining myself too many times! Look around at your group, this is the group you will be seeing every other day for the rest of the time I am here. You will pick a partner, it will be you AND your partner's responsibility to show up on time. Failure to do so will result in BOTH of you getting extra exercises."

She had been pacing along the line of bodies, stopping in front of Adam and pointing a finger up at him, her steely gaze with those eyes of deep sapphire was now locked on him. Locking eyes with him she continued. "You're the most augmented out of everyone here! As such, you and I are going to be partners for the day. You and I will be sparring for the class as an example of weak points."

Theia had taken on the air of a drill sergeant, reminding Adam of his early days in SWAT. Almost as if on instinct he had straightened himself upright as she barked her orders at him. However the air of authority she was trying to manufacture rubbed him the wrong way; it was so out of place for her that it must have been an act.

Nevertheless, he nodded down at her. After a quick stretch of his neck and feeling the bones crackle he stepped forward, shaking out his hands as if he was readying for an all out brawl. Getting into a defensive position he sent out faint neural impulses to slide his mirror shades back, looking over at Theia with a smirk.

"This is certainly new." She stood across from him as he spoke, looking him up and down, sizing him up and calculating the best way to take him down. "I mean, yeah, you always used to be the hot-headed one picking fights, but you've definitely come up in the world."

Theia allowed the ghost of a smirk to cross her lips before she struck out quickly, Adam allowing the hit to his shoulder and rolling into it.

"Class, when dealing with a combatant that has artificial arms, you may think to strike here at the shoulder."

Lightning quick reflexes kicked in, and Adam thought for a brief moment that she must have neural augs as well as she released two more hits, one a flat palm to his shoulder again while the other swept up into his elbow, breaking his blocking stance.

"However, spots where meat and metal meet tend to be reinforced underneath the skin."

It was almost comical to Adam how she explained herself as she moved, allowing her to continue as the hits she had landed were barely even enough to take down a flesh and blood human, much less his state of the art augmented self.

"The best way to decommission someone with arm augments is to go for the weaker spots of the elbow and wrist. The servos there aren't made to extend past a certain point."

Theia shouted, a loud kiai that caught Adam off guard, allowing Theia to bring down a blow to his elbow that actually caused the servos to slip a gear, giving her the chance to pull the arm behind his back and bring him down to a knee.

It had happened fast enough that Adam hadn't had much time to respond, Theia grinning up at the class as she focused on normalizing her breathing.

"Everyone catch that?" She let go of Adam's arm, allowing him to stand. "There are similar servos in the knees and ankles, although those aren't usually a concern as most offensive arms are going to be in the subject's hands and arms."

Theia gestured at Adam, looking down at his arms. "For example, those small slots on the top of your arm, between the myomer muscles, those are nanoblade ports, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah. Sarif's tactical model." Adam hadn't noticed those when he first started toying with his arms back when he got them, how did she notice them so quickly?

"Well, no using those on my dummies. I get good funding through Interpol but those things are expensive, and I don't like writing code from scratch either." She turned back to the rest of her class. "Demonstration over, Adam and I are going to continue sparring, each of you pick a partner and practice the disabling moves I showed you. Don't go all out, most of you are flesh and blood and I don't want any major injuries, okay?"

Her sweet demeanor was back, giving them all a bright smile. "I have faith in all of you to pass! Just keep at it and I know you'll all be great by the time we're through!"

She watched as everyone picked out their partners, Theia had been worried that Aria wouldn't get picked right off but her fears were shown to be unfounded as she was bombarded with people asking her to be their sparring partner. With a satisfied nod she turned back to Adam.

"Your arm alright? Sometimes I get so caught up in a fight I hit a bit harder than I should. If anything feels too slack or too tight I can tinker around with it with my small set of tools. Couldn't rebuild you from scratch but once most of the LIMB clinics were scorched I kinda had to learn maintenance on myself."

"I'll be alright. If it does get bad I got a local tech here. Could probably get you two acquainted in case you need anything more than normal maintenance."

"Hah! Sounds good. Oh hey, we still doing movie night tonight?" Her cheeks took on the slightest hint of pink as her tone became low and sheepish. "I... I kinda want to apologize for last night. Alcohol and... other shit got to my brain. We cool?"

He hadn't expected her to be the first to bring it up, leaving him brooding over what he was going to say if anything. Nodding, he brought a hand up to the back of his neck, rubbing it in embarrassment as he spoke. "Yeah, we're cool. And movie night sounds good. Although maybe we should start sparring again before anyone else starts staring at us?"

"Oh! Right, bring it on!" The carefree smile returned as she took up her pose, with her eyes locked on his and that smile it made his breath catch in his throat. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked with her shining skin sparkling with sweat, those impossibly blue eyes and dark hair. He had to shake his head slightly to move the thoughts from his mind as he squared up to face her.

 _"I really need to figure out where I stand with her..."_


	5. Movie Night

((Hey guys! You might notice I cut the explicit scene. I personally don't think it was that bad, but I decided to put the other stuff as stand-alone stories so I can keep the overall story T. I'll be posting the explicit bits up shortly.

Once again, thanks for reading!))

* * *

Between the sparring sessions they took quick breaks, Theia emphasizing the importance of letting the body rest to prevent strain. Adam considered her a worthy opponent despite the hardware differences they had; she'd been holding her own for nearly two hours of on-and-off sparring and didn't show many external signs of fatigue.

"Alright everyone, today's session is over. Gather 'round and we'll finish it off with some after-workout stretching and meditation." She quickly walked over to a music system and pressed the play button, the quiet of the room now replaced with soothing tones and the faint sound of running water.

"Meditation? Can I skip that and just get back to my office?" One of the soldiers spoke up, obviously exhausted from training and looking worse for wear.

"Nonsense, this will help you all come down from the 'battle high' as I like to call it. A functioning body is no use if there isn't a functioning mind to pilot it." Theia took up a spot at the edge of the ring on the floor, patting the ground in an invitation for everyone to sit and relax for a few moments. "It's not going to be guided meditation, unless you all ask for it some other time."

She closed her eyes as the others took spots around the circle, Adam taking up the spot to her right. Slowly she inhaled and exhaled, controlling her breathing as her palms rested on her knees. "Just sit, feel your muscles relax and your breathing normalize. A relaxed mind also holds onto information better."

Adam followed suit, closing his eyes and allowing his mirrorshades to extend, further blocking out the fluorescent lights in the room. Theia's voice was soothing, and he found himself getting lost in it as his mind wandered. He'd never been good at blanking his mind; now more than ever with everything that had happened. But around her...

 _"This is nice. Feels like I could do this forever..."_

A good twenty minutes passed before Theia spoke again, allowing hber breath to leave in a soft sigh as she looked around at her students. "Tomorrow is your resting day. Take care of yourselves and I hope to see you all the day after tomorrow ready to learn again. We'll be going over the VI dummies and how to set their programs to your level of aptitude."

Everyone stood up at their own pace, shuffling out the door in relative quiet. Only Theia, Adam, and Dr. Auzenne stayed behind.

Theia turned around, smiling at Delara. "I think that went pretty damn well if I say so myself."

Delara was still scribbling down notes in her pad as she nodded. "Yes, there were a couple who seemed to catch on slower, but I love your usage of meditation at the close of a session. You were right about the mind needing rest just as much as the body."

Theia shrugged, waving her off slightly. "Ah, but you're the one that taught me that, doc." Looking up at Adam she pointed her thumb at the psychiatrist next to them. "She helped me out after my accident that gave me these beauties." She exaggeratedly flexed her synthetic arms. "And I ended coming back to her after the, uh... _incident._ "

"She's been one of my best patients so far. Not going to go too in depth with HIPPA regulations and all that to worry about but I'm glad Director Miller hired her on."

"Now you're just gonna make me blush, doc." Theia grinned brightly, there was indeed a bit of pink that tinted her cheeks but Adam couldn't tell if it had been the comment or the strenuous activity they had just experienced. "Hey, I know you're not big on 'patient-doctor interaction' outside of work, but I already roped Adam into having a movie night at my place tonight. Wanna come? This guy's never seen The Crow and that's probably the first one on my list."

Delara quirked an eyebrow up at Adam, seemingly questioning how close the two were getting before she chuckled softly. "No thank you, I've got papers to write tonight and turn in to Director Miller tomorrow on today's lesson. But I appreciate the invitation."

"Damn, some other time, then!" Theia waved after Delara as she walked out the door, closing it behind her.

Letting out another sigh, Theia shook her head. "Y'know... Delara is nice and all..." Her brow furrowed as she mulled over what words to describe her with. "But it all seems kinda... fake. Or is it just me? Or maybe it's all her psychoanalizing that makes her come off as fake."

Adam crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at Theia. "No, I got that feeling when I first met her. Haven't had the chance to use my CASIE aug on her though to find out if she really is on the level."

"You got a CASIE aug? Cool! I read a pamphlet on those things since after I got my arms Sarif kept sending me info on new stuff hitting the market." Her laugh echoed in the empty training room as she conttinued. "To be honest, it sounded way too much like a real life dating sim. I passed on it."

"Dating sim?"

"Oh, uh..." Theia's cheeks turned bright red as she chuckled nervously. "They're... games. Where you try to seduce or romance a character of your choice. Like a virtual boyfriend or girlfriend..." She trailed off, obviously uncomfortable with the subject, instead trying to deflect with humor. "No wonder you don't know what they are, as if you'd need help finding a woman!"

Her smile instantly faltered as she realized what she had just said. "N-not that _I'm_ hitting on you. Just... stating a fact."

It was Adam's turn to smile, she had become flustered and it was cute on her, to put it mildly. "No need to clarify. I understood what you meant, Theia."

"Oh! Okay. Well then, excuse me while I go extract this foot from my mouth." She was inching closer to one of her VI dummies, trying very hard to make herself invisible as he continued to watch her. "Still going to see you at seven tonight for movies, right? Would alcohol be good or... no?" Her mind flashed with images of their last inebriated meeting and how it ended, her cheeks managing to turn a darker shade of red.

"Don't bother, I got stuff I can bring over." Adam went over the extensive list of alcohol he had at home, realizing he didn't have much in the way of foodstuffs unless she wanted him to bring cereal over. "Although, do you have popcorn or something like that? If not I can bring some of that, too."

"Please, a cinephile not having popcorn? Perish the thought!" Her grin returned easily, gladly changing the conversation to food and drink. "I've got popcorn and plenty of snacks. Even stuff to make real food if we decide to have dinner."

"Alright, I'll bring the booze, you bring the food. Deal?"

"Deal! See you tonight, Adam!"

In an unidentifiable room, off of the city's normal powergrid and linked directly into the dark web, a woman was linked up to a neural network. While her body lay motionless in the chair, her mind was working as her avatar met up with another, much older, gentleman at a round table.

Normally this space was for strict Council business, but the woman had been called to report on their situation in Prague, dutifully she relayed her report to the graying gentleman next to her.

"Subject is stable. Inserting the asset was indeed a worthwhile plan, as she has taken his mind off our works for now."

"And this woman... Theia Hawkes. She can be trusted?" The greying man spoke, steepling his fingers as his avatar looked directly at the woman next to him. "She is not formally in our fold. This could be a disaster rivalling the Detroit mess if she realizes how she and he are being manipulated."

"Neither are any the wiser. Jim Miller has been a sufficient decoy, our pawn has no leads to go on right now other than to rely on Janus for information. The more he relies on Janus, the easier it will be to flush him out."

Seemingly satisfied with the information given, the elder man dismissed the woman next to him. "Good. I will not allow everything I have worked for to be destroyed by one meddling leak. You are dismissed."

Adam held two different kinds of alcohol in his hands, looking back and forth between each and trying to decide what Theia might like more.

"I think she said she liked heavier stuff when we were at Svobody... so maybe I should ditch the wine and bring the whisky." His brow furrowed as he glanced back up, staring at the wall. "Why am I making such a big deal about this? I'll bring the whisky, if she doesn't like it then so what? We're neighbors I just have to walk back the twenty feet and grab something else."

Adam tucked the bottle underneath his arm, exiting the apartment and making sure it was closed behind him. He stopped and stared over at her door as he saw her pushing something large and white through her door.

Or she was trying her hardest, at least.

Nonchalantly he walked over smirking down at her as he spoke. "Need some help?"

Theia jumped, startled as she didn't notice him sneak up on her. "Shit! Adam." She smiled, patting her chest over her heart. "Damn near gave me a heart attack. But yeah, they got my bed in today! Already got the frame and the box spring set up, just trying to move this impossible thing."

"I take it the delivery guys didn't stay to help?" He grabbed both sides of the bed, activating his synthetic muscle and allowing him to effortlessly move it inside for her.

Theia watched for a moment, slightly amazed by how effortlessly he was moving that blasted mattress. "Uh, yeah. They were naturals and didn't enjoy delivering to an aug. Oh well." She shrugged, following Adam inside and watching him put her matress down on the box spring.

"Sweet! I bet that didn't seem like much but now I gotta make you dinner to thank you. That thing was a bitch trying to get up the stairs and into the door."

"You moved the frame and boxspring up those steps already? I would have helped if you asked."

She scoffed, waving him off. "Nah, you're alright. I'm no damsel in distress."

Leading him back out into the living room, she pulled the pillows and blankets off the couch, tossing them in a heap on the naked mattress. "So... you already have the synopsis for The Crow... I was thinking either that or Repo! The Genetic Opera."

She held out a dvd case for him to examine. On the front was a man in a full body suit that looked like it was made of rubber, with a doctor's reflector at the top. "Huh. So what's that one about?"

"Well first off it's a rock opera, think Rocky Horror Picture show..." She trailed off, hoping for some sort of recognition. When he gave her a blank stare she sighed. "Erm... okay. There are very few spoken words in thsi movie. It's mostly sung. Not like a musical where there's speaking AND songs, just every word is sung in some way."

"That could be... interesting I suppose."

"Anyway, the story in this is that in the not-so-distant future the world is facing an epidemic of organ failures. A company comes forth with synthetic organs that they offer financing on. GeneCo, that's the company, managed to lobby a bill through congress making organ reposessions... as in, you don't pay for 90 days they can come cut your organs out of you, legal."

"Sounds serious." Adam listened to her intently, watching her excitement as she spoke about the movie made him smile. This kind of stuff made her truly happy and who was he to stop her?

"Yes, very serious. The story is set around one of the Repo Men's daughter." She pointed to the plastic clad figure on the front of the box. "Although she doesn't know he's a Repo Man. And that's all I'm going to spoil. So... this? Or The Crow?"

"You really seem to like Repo, so why not that one?"

Her eyes lit up as she grinned, nodding as she put the dvd in and turned on the tv.

"Oh hey, before we get too into it, is whisky okay? Didn't know if you wanted something hard or maybe some wine. If you'd rather do wine I got that at my place I can go grab it."

"Whisky? Hell yeah." She rummaged through a box that she still hadn't unpacked, producing two shot glasses. "Pour me a shot and I'll go get the popcorn ready."

Adam eagerly obliged, pouring them both a shot as he heard her opening a box and the telltale beeping of the microwave. Once the bag was in and popping she returned, flopping down unceremoneously on the couch and picking up her glass. "How about a toast? To meeting up with friends you thought long lost! On the other side of the world no less!"

They clinked their glasses together, both downing their shots as easily as if they were water. The after burn, however, made Theia gulp audibly.

"Oh hell yes, that's the good stuff. Rye whisky, innit?"

"Yeah." He held up the bottle, showing her the label. "Templeton Rye."

"Oh shit so that really IS the 'good stuff'."

"How do you mean?"

"It's what Al Capone called it. He used to ask for the 'good stuff' to be smuggled in to him on Alcatraz. Which was Templeton Rye."

"No way that's real."

Theia shrugged. "It was what my dad told me. I tend to believe him since he was a barkeeper at his own bar."

The microwave let out a few shrill beeps, signalling the popcorn was done even as a few stray pops went off in the bag. Theia quickly got up and poured it into a bowl, setting it on the table in front of them as she pressed play and let the movie start running.

Two bowls of popcorn, nearly a bottle of whisky, and one movie later, Adam found himself surprised at how much he liked the movie. Throughout the feature the both of them managed to slide closer to each other, partially due to the plushness of the couch and partially due to an unconscious lack of physical contact they both had.

With the alcohol nearly gone, Theia was feeling the full effects and so was Adam. So much so that Theia didn't bother moving her head from Adam's shoulder despite the uncomfortable feeling of the myomar muscle.

"So..." Her speech slurred as she looked up at him. "Enjoy the movie?"

"Yeah. I think... what was his name... Graverobber? That guy was the best."

Theia let out a loud, hearty laugh. "So you share the opinion of pretty much ninety-nine percent of the people who watched this."

"Hey, he stole the show!"

"I know." Personal space no longer seemed to matter to Theia as she layed down on the couch, her head in his lap as she looked up at him. "That guy wrote the story and most of the songs too."

"No wonder he stole the show. Gave himself the best parts." There was a comfortable feeling between them now. Between the sparring earlier today, the movie, and just generaqlly being around each other that easy camraderie was back that they shared so long ago. Absentmindedly he began to stroke her hair, long since out of her ponytail and splayed out along his lap.

"Mnn..." Theia let out a soft noise of approval, closing her eyes as he stroked her hair. She remarked for a moment on how gentle he could be with those weaponized arms. "That feels nice..."

"Yeah?" He looked down at her, once again noticing the beauty in her form. Although whether it was the alcohol or something else, he found his eyes roaming the curves of her body. The muscle tone of her stomach peeking out from underneath her tanktop that had been pulled up slightly. The way her exercise pants clinged to her thighs and left little to the imagination.

"Hey. Adam."

He was removed from his reverie, bringing his eyes back to meet hers. "Yeah, Theia?"

"You gonna just stare at my body, or you gonna do something about it?"

Her forwardness stirred something inside of him, a longing that he hadn't really felt since Megan. His fingers stopped stroking her hair, instead bringing one down her face to trace her cheek.

"You sure you want to do this now? We're both kinda shitfaced." As his hand traced her cheek and down her jawline she craned her head back, baring her neck to him and allowing his fingers to move lower.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Fuck regulations, let's have some fun." In what seemed like an instant she was up and straddling his lap, bringing her lips down hard onto his.

Adam gladly returned the kiss, one hand running up her back to snake its way into her hair to hold her against him as the other dipped lower beneath the hem of her pants. This elicited a soft gasp from Theia as her tongue eagerly found its way into his mouth.

There was a mutual longing there, with a burning passion that threatened to consume them both if they didn't act on it. Soon, her tiny apartment was filled with the sounds of their mutual enjoyment...

Adam lost track of time as the night went on. Finally, both of them with their energy spent, they found themselves laying together on her slightly too small couch. Theia thought it was a perfect excuse to rest her head on his chest, allowing her head to rise and fall with his gradually slowing breathing.

"That was... intense." Theia found herself at a loss for words, the alcohol might have worn off but their recent activities left her mind clouded by a euphoric sort of fuzzyness she hadn't felt in a long time.

Adam let a smirk quirk the side of his lips up as he looked up at the ceiling. "Yeah, been awhile for me... you alright? Didn't mean to get so rough."

"You're kidding, right?" It was an awkward angle but Theia turned her head up to look into his eyes, sporting her trademark grin. "You of all people should know I can take it as well as I dish it out."

The soft rumble of a laugh made Theia's heart skip a beat; on the one hand it pained her to see her long-lost friend had obtained so many frown lines but it elated her to be able to bring him comfort, even for a moment.

The room went quiet as they enjoyed the intimacy of their combined afterglow before Adam finally shifted. "I think after working out twice in one day, a shower would be amazing right now."

Moving with him, she kissed his cheek. "My shower is big enough. For two, I mean." Once she broke the kiss she spoke again, motioning to the bathroom. "You probably want to head back home though."

Adam mulled over his option before shrugging. "I mean, if it's not too much trouble... want someone to share that massive bed with tonight?"

Theia giggled, covering her mouth as she did so. "Adam... since when did you get this direct?"

Adam smiled, standing up and offering a hand to her. "Sometime after you left."

"Looks like I really missed a lot, huh? That's alright. Pretty sure we'll be able to catch up."

They had showered off, Adam pointing out how good her soap smelled with Theia offering to give him a bottle. She didn't have much to offer in the way of pajamas but Adam declined either way, simply wearing his boxers to bed.

Of course the main issue with the bed, is that the blankets hadn't been put on yet. Leaving Theia and Adam to struggle over fitted sheets and blankets. After a bit of still drunken shenanigans and laughing they managed to get the blankets on the bed, both of them laying down on the bed with a triumphant grin.

"Well that was fun." Theia rolled over and snuggled up close to Adam.

"Yeah. No more fucking fitted sheets." He laughed, wrapping an arm around her and looking up at the ceiling.

 _"How long has it been... since I felt this way?"_ Adam mused to himself, listening to Theia's already slowed breathing. _"Heh. She's already asleep. I didn't realize how much I missed this."_

In the warmth and afterglow of their night together, Adam finally drifted off into some of the most blissful sleep he had in what felt like ages.


	6. Possible Connections

Adam awoke, not to the gentle streaming of sunlight through his window, but to the shrill chirping of an alarm. His dreamless sleep left him in a panic as he bolted up. A mind still groggy surveyed his surroundings and saw Theia fumbling to turn off an old-fashioned clock radio as she spoke curses at it under her breath.

Last night came back to him in bits and pieces as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. Theia, with her hair in an absolute mess around her head managed to find the snooze button and, in her half asleep stupor, rolled over and clung to him tightly. Adam sat there, stock still, as his mind ran through the events of last night. The movie, the alcohol, the...

He shook his head slightly. _"We're going to be in deep shit if anyone finds out about this."_ Inwardly cursing himself he shook Theia's shoulder softly.

"Hey, Theia. Might want to wake up."

"Nnn... five more minutes... actually make it ten..." was her mumbled reply.

"Seriously. We have to talk about last night."

"Last... night?" Slowly she blinked the sleep from her eyes. Recognition slowly dawned on her as to who she was holding onto. Her face turned up in a flash, eyes locked onto his as she froze. "Oh."

"Yeah." Adam sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We probably shouldn't have done... most of what we did last night."

"No no no... if your boss has to blame anyone, blame me. I don't want you getting fired over my stupid decisions." She was always so quick to protect him. Even back when they were kids she'd try to take the fall for shit they tried to pull. Or stand up to bullies that had their sights set on him, usually leaving them with bloody noses and black eyes.

"What I'm trying to say is," one of his fingers pressed to her lips in a shushing manner, "if we keep it on the down low, no one needs to know. We just had a one night stand, and as long as we don't make it a habit, no one should be any the wiser."

"Alright." Her cheeks blushed a dark crimson as she averted her gaze. "For what it's worth, last night was great."

Now Adam's cheeks were tinged red as he nodded. "Definitely, uh, been awhile..."

Theia giggled softly, rising from the bed. "It's still pretty early. Want me to make breakfast? I just got a waffle iron so I was thinking waffles."

Adam felt his stomach growl at the idea of food. Normally he had quick foods to make at home, cereals, bread, sandwich fixings... waffles sounded amazing to him right now.

"Haven't had waffles in awhile. Sure." He stretched for a moment before getting out of bed, casting a glance at the messy bed and deciding whether he should make it for her or not.

Theia waved a dismissing gesture at him, almost as if she knew where his mind was heading, as she rummaged through her closet for something to wear. "Don't bother with the bed. I'll get it in a bit if I remember. Life is too short to spend it on making beds." She now had an outfit in her hand almost exactly similar to her clothes yesterday. Exercise shorts with a tank top, only today she sported red and white as opposed to yesterday's blue and black.

Compared to her clean clothes, Adam looked down at his in a heap by the bed. He pulled on the shirt and pants that still faintly smelled of sweat from yesterday's workout and looked back to Theia just as she was walking out of the bedroom door.

"Theia, I'm going to swing over to my place and grab some clean clothes. I'll be right back."

With a smile and a nod she said nothing more, making her way to the kitchen as Adam shrugged on his jacket and left out the front door.

On the way out and towards his apartment, he felt a distinct tingling in his skull. His infolink was being called by a familiar number. Sending off a few specialized nerve impulses, he answered the call.

"Hey, Adam." Alex's familiar voice sounded through his head.

"Alex. What's up? Finally got me a visit with Janus?"

"Always right to the point. But no, what I DO have is a new lead on the Orchid."

"Really?" His sub-vocal implant allowed him to speak without being overheard, which was good when such sensitive information was being relayed. "Are they planning on using it again? I need to know when and where they're going to strike next."

"We don't know that much yet, and Janus doesn't want this over infolink. Any place we could meet up in the next hour or so? The abandoned LIMB clinic maybe?"

Adam hesitated, Theia couldn't know about the Juggernaut Collective. Not yet, at least. He trusted her almost completely now, but he doubted Alex or even Janus would be too happy about him bringing her into their mess. But he also didn't want to break off the plans he had just made.

"...Yeah. I'll meet you there." What other choice did he have? He'd have to meet Alex and lie to Theia about what he was doing. If she ever found out... there was a twinge of heartache that he felt at the duplicity of things. He wanted to let her in completely, tell her everything, have someone he could finally confide in.

But that would have to wait. Alex hung up on her end just as he reached his apartment door. Sending off more impulses he called Theia. "Something has come up. I don't know how much I can say because Miller didn't tell me your level of clearance. So all I can say is we'll have to reschedule the waffles." He paused, his voice with regret as he continued. "...Sorry, Theia."

The voice on the other end of the connection was still her typical, cheery self. "No problem, Adam! You go be a secret agent, I'll enjoy some waffles. See you at work!"

Adam smiled as she cut off the call. She was so trusting, he imagined she would even trust him with her life. With his track record of those whose lives were in his hands, he didn't know how that made him feel. Walking back to his bedroom her put his clothes on in silence, the seriousness of that thought making him bite his lip in worry.

 _"If all of this goes south... and Theia is caught in the middle... "_ He wasn't about to let her coffin weigh on his conscience. He thought back to all those he couldn't save... Stacks, the man who helped him break out of the Alaska facility. How did he repay him? He got killed in a brutal firefight because Adam thought he could handle it. Not to mention those who died in the original raid on Sarif Industries, the Task Force members from the Detroit operation...

Fingers clenched into a fist as he looked up at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. The rage building inside him screamed at him to punch something. Break something, anything! Everything the Illuminati had done, they would pay for. He would break something alright, and it would be their stranglehold on the world.

It was a quick jog down the street to the LIMB clinic. Enough time to clear his head of earlier thoughts, cool down a bit before meeting Alex at what was becoming their usual meetup.

 _"Janus normally doesn't appear in the same place twice. Alex might be taking a big risk, even if she can cloak."_

Thankfully, the street was mostly empty. Leaving him unnoticed as he made his way down the steps and through the door now hanging on a single hinge. He couldn't see her anywhere but that didn't mean much.

"Took you long enough." Alex smirked up at him, giving him a small nod as she uncloaked. "I've got good news... and a bit of bad."

Her tone caught Adam off guard, her infolink call made her sound like there was only good news. "Bad news first. Save the good news for last."

"Alright, but you're probably not going to like it." She handed him a pocket secretary which lit up in his hands, showcasing various dossiers. "Janus did a bit of digging. Manderley gave your boss Miller these dossiers for a new recruit."

"These were collected by Manderley?" His heart skipped a beat. Theia... he thought she was in the clear.

"Yeah... each one of them picked by that Illuminati lackey himself apparently. It's a high possibility that whoever Miller picked is going to be a mole."

His mind reeled from the implications; even those closest to him weren't safe. This was starting to seem a lot like Megan yet he didn't want to believe it. Skimming through the pocket secretary he found Theia's dossier and held it up to Alex. "This is the one he picked. Janus needs to run everything from her background. Everything."

Alex nodded, Adam's chilly tone made her want to ask questions, but she knew better than most how aloof he always seemed to be. "Now for the good news. Janus was able to replicate the Orchid antidote and our hackers sniffing around what they could find after the Breach in the Palisade Bank found some leads on where they might be using it next."

Another datapad was handed to him, mostly detailing secret conversations with encrypted addresses that even the Collective couldn't decrypt apparently. "I need to hold onto this. If any of this info coincides with missions we may be given in the future that means the Illuminati might be trying to get rid of this branch of TF29 just like they did in Detroit."

"Right. I don't have a copy myself, Janus just wanted me to hand deliver this to you."

"Still waiting to see him in person." Adam crossed his arms across his chest, looking down at Alex.

"I told you, Adam. He doesn't do 'in person'."

"I might have to make him, then." Adam turned to leave the abandoned clinic, looking over his shoulder back at Alex as he stood in the doorway. "But thanks, Alex. Let me know what you find."

The only answer he got was the sound of Alex's glass shield aug booting up, a slight crackle of energy and she was now nowhere to be seen.

Now he had other things to worry about. Fears he thought he could put to rest now haunted him. The fact that Theia could be a double agent was almost more than he could bear, but now there was more evidence leading him to that conclusion.

 _"I need to wait. Alex hasn't done me wrong yet, I'll follow up on whatever info she digs up about Theia..."_

A quick glance at his HUD showed the time to be just about an hour before he had to be at headquarters. With a heavy sigh he started to make his way to the train station, thoughts of what he might have to do in the near future clouding his mind.


	7. Digging Deeper

(A/N: OH HI I KINDA FORGOT THIS EXISTED. Bit of a backstory on why I was out of writing for so long: finished my associate's degree (welding, yay!), got a job in my field and was working 7 _day/66 hour work weeks_ (not yay), decided to tell my boss "IDI NAHUI, CYKA" and move two hours away to a better job with my boyfriend aaaaand... yeah. Fun year.

But, pfft, you're not here for my life story! Have a new chapter!)

* * *

 _'Manderley... that bastard.'_ Adam's free hand clenched into a fist, the other holding onto a hanging strap dangling from the subway car. _'How could I have been so naive? So easily trusting of her when nothing had been cleared yet?'_

Then again, thinking back to Sarif, Pritchard, Stacks...

' _Megan...'_ Her name still made his chest tight over how she had played him for a fool so easily.

Looking back he realized he trusted far too easily. And it bit him in the ass every single time. The only person who hadn't stabbed him in the back yet was Pritchard, and there was no hint on where that hacker was now. Sarif probably knew where he was, but the few times Adam brought him up Sarif just dodged the question.

Over the intercom a voice announced, in Czech and English, that his stop was next. His rendezvous with Alex meant he was now almost late to headquarters. Giving a curt nod to Marcie he walked briskly back to the hidden elevator and down into the darkness below.

Ever the ray of sunshine, Aria greeted him as he stepped off. "Adam! You're looking a bit disheveled, training yesterday really take its toll on you?"

Now that he was back at TF29 he could let himself relax a bit. Aria helped with that a lot, more than he'd let her know. He wasn't quite sure if it was simply because she was another aug, or if it was her personality that made him feel at ease.

 _'Always smiling, quick with a joke, and eager to prove herself... might just be because she's so much like Theia.'_

"Nah." Giving her a noncommittal shrug, he looked back towards the training area. "She didn't get to me that bad. Just... had a hard time sleeping last night." He was certain a lie that brazenly false could be picked up even without a CASIE aug; sleeping next to Theia had been the most peaceful, dreamless sleep he had enjoyed in ages.

Whether she noticed it or not, she hid it well. Simply giving him a sagely nod. "I get you. Neuropozine can give me weird dreams if I take it too close to bed time. Maybe that messed with you, too?"

"Yeah. Probably it." Minus Jim Miller and a few other people who needed to know, everyone else was oblivious to his lack of need for nu-poz. "How far back do you take it to keep from messing with your sleep?"

"Well... I only take it close to bed if I've forgotten an earlier dose for one reason or another. But my doc said to not take less than two hours before bed."

"Thanks. I'll... keep that in mind." Giving her a polite nod he walked up the stairs to the office he shared with MacReady. Someone he didn't really want to talk to now and if luck was on his side, MacReady would already be heading down to train with Theia.

"Looks like robocop is on duty."

No such luck.

MacReady smirked at him from his desk, a look Adam wasn't used to seeing. If jokes were ever tossed between them it was the sarcastic, slightly true jokes that were meant to get under each other's skin.

"You're in a good mood today. Finally pull that stick out of your ass?" He began to notice a pleasant smell in the room. Looking down at his desk he saw a small styrofoam to-go box with a note attached.

"Only because you seem to have a fan. Your aug-only club must be going really well," he gestured to the box on Adam's desk, "or you have a not-so-secret admirer."

Normally it took a lot for MacReady to get under his skin, but right now it was taking every ounce of his will to keep from firing back and making it look worse for them. Instead, he allowed nothing to show, only giving him a raised eyebrow and feigned concern.

"Jealous I get people bringing me food?" Opening the box he saw two perfectly golden brown Belgian style waffles. "TF29 has her staying in the same aug-friendly complex they put me in. Right across the balcony actually."

He took an exaggerated long whiff of the food, making sure MacReady was watching. All it did was make the other man scowl, as expected.

"Really. I thought making each other breakfast was a 'morning after' sort of thing." The chess match between their egos was ramping up, slings and arrows of wit meant to pick away at the unflinching exteriors they both put out to the world; male bravado fighting to see who would crack first.

A blip from MacReady's computer broke the tension for now, his scowl deepening as he stood up. "Well your 'girlfriend' is ready for my squad. And I'm ready for a rematch." Standing in the doorway he looked over his shoulder, having to get the last word in always. "I'll make sure not to scratch her paint job too bad."

Adam was left to scowl at the closed door before looking back to the waffles. The note attached had sloppy handwriting, another thing about her that hadn't changed a bit.

 _'Sorry you had to split! I made too much batter and ended up making you some waffles too. They're sooooo good! ~Theia'_

"She always said she should be a doctor with how bad her handwriting was..." His tone was low and wistful, once again memories of younger, carefree days ran through his head.

 _'I doubt I can ever go back to a peace like that...'_

Sighing, he took the datapad out of his jacket pocket, once again flicking through its contents. First thing he'd have to do is run backgrounds on the other candidates, see if there was anything too obvious that would connect them to the Illuminati. Obvious, and other not so obvious, connections would mean that Theia was in deep. There was also the chance she was an unknowing puppet, much like he had been before all of this happened.

This background checking meant most of his day was spend huddled in front of his computer, even his augmented eyes straining from looking at the screen for so long. With a stretch and a yawn he looked at his HUD, nearly four hours had passed and his stomach was wanting for more than just waffles. Grabbing his empty coffee mug he made his way down to the small cafeteria area to browse what the vending machines had today.

As he stood there deciding between sandwiches a sweaty and fuming MacReady walked up to him. Seeing him out of the corner of his eye almost made Adam crack a smile.

It was so blatantly obvious who won the rematch, but Adam felt the need to rub it in.

"How'd the rematch go? Even manage to leave a scratch?"

"Oh fuck off, Jensen." Macready refocused his angry glare at the vending machine. "I landed one goddamn hit."

"If it makes you feel any better, she took me down yesterday."

"I don't need you trying to make me feel better, Jensen. I'm going to kick her ass next time."

"Uh-huh. I'll have a camera ready to capture the moment." Pressing a few buttons he grabbed his lunch and waved back at MacReady. "Those waffles she made were great, by the way. Maybe you could stop being a dick for five minutes and ask her to bring you some."

* * *

Another few hours went by in silence. Everything he could find on the other dossiers was oddly free of any sign of Illuminati meddling. There was still no way this was a coincidence, though. Best case scenario she was planted to distract him, worse case was she ended up like another Megan just using him as a means to an end.

Leaning back in his chair, he took another sip of coffee. To be fair, while he thought it wasn't in her nature there was no way she'd gone more than two decades with no personality change at all. Something had to be different.

His mind began going down the list of things he'd noticed; she swore like a sailor when he'd never heard her utter anything worse than crap when they were younger, she'd taken to dying her auburn hair a darker shade of brown that was almost black, while she hadn't been overweight as a kid she was definitely toned now due to her career choice...

Everything about her that had changed was on the outside, personality-wise she was still kind to everyone she met, still hot-headed when it came to proving herself, still always had a smile on her face... except when they were at Svobody talking about her accident.

 _'It could all just be an act. Hiding her pain to keep everyone else strong...'_

That, too, was something about her that hadn't changed. Remembering back to his childhood there were plenty of times she'd gotten hurt trying to keep the bullies away from him. Shit like that was why he originally wanted to be a cop, helping those who couldn't help themselves; what a load of bull. SWAT ended up just being a gang of better funded thugs and he wasn't too sure about TF29 yet either.

Looking out his office window he saw most people were milling about out on the floor, gathering personal items to take back home now that the next shift of techies, investigators, and other Interpol personnel were coming in. Adam saw Theia walking out of the back corridor leading to her office/training area and their eyes met.

Flashing him another smile, she waved up at him before heading towards the elevator to go home. Once she was out of his line of sight, his HUD alerted him to a new message.

 _'I found a place that sells Indian spices! Thinking about making bhuna gosht. You ever had it? Even if you haven't want to try some? I always end up making leftovers! LOL'_

Leave it to her to find the culinary stuff. He had no idea what that food was but it had to be better than cereal. Since he was waiting on what Janus and Alex could dig up on her, he had nothing better to do than wait and try to see if she'd give him any information willingly.

 _'Sure. I'm just leaving now. How'd you find an Indian store in Prague?'_

 _'Oh please! My parents were restaurateurs, remember? Well, my dad preferred the bar side but my mom used to make such good food!'_

 _'Right. I forgot, I guess. See you there in an hour?'_

 _'Absolutely! And you better not pull your secret agent excuse again.'_


End file.
